Countdown: Two
by KJ4
Summary: Sometimes, even the puppet masters realize they too have masters. After debacle of Pine's escape and subsequent murder spree , the new Aeon Director decides to take a more "progressive" approach, much to the chagrin of the Proteus Council.


Disclaimer: As usual, don't own Aberrant (WHite Wolf does, and doesn't want to anything with it anymore). Don't own Incredibles (and I'm really glad people from Pixar don't read this stuff, because they'd probably scream for my head on a pike).

Author's Notes: Well, this little piece of Countdown was written as an afterthought, but then, after binging on a Bailey's Irish Cream Mocha smoothie, it became more than just a couple pages. Just so you know, this is where we take a dark turn in this series (what? You thought we did that already? HA! We haven't begun to darken!). It was also a cheap way to tie up some loose ends and also mess with Aberrant and Incredibles canon (and yet still have it be recognizable). So, here we are.

I would also like to thank Zarthrax and the Plothook crew...who have given me some twisted ideas. Pixfan, no Damon this Countdown, but he will be joining the cast! So don't worry. Shannon, Walker, NC, and CC44...as always, thank you very much for your feedback, support, and...in Shannon's case...threats (though I doubt she'll have much time these days). Starswordsman, doubt you're reading this, but believe it or not...I do read your stories to get me into that "Incredibles writing" mode.

And again, to the insane asylum at Plothook...just want to say "Thanks a lot, you crazy freaks!"

* * *

"_Phillipa Lavielle, niece of recently slain Phillip Lavielle, Director of the Aeon Society, assumed her uncle's former duties as Director. Though some had cited her youth and lack of experience, the thirty year old Lavielle seems to have hit the ground running, proclaiming that her uncle had started a "new era" and she intended to follow his vision...."_

N!Channel News

* * *

_**Aeon Society Headquarters**_

_**Chicago, Illinois**_

Hideo Ozaki had run several mental scenarios since he and Thetis had received their invitation to Aeon headquarters in Chicago.

_No, not an invitation, it was an order, a thinly veiled order._

He truly believed that eliminating Phillip Lavielle was necessary, especially since the man was very close to passing off some vital information to the NSA and its Directive allies. Though he didn't like the idea of appointing a figurehead, he had to admit that letting the man's niece assume directorship of Aeon was a way of giving the illusion of a smooth transition of power, at least as far as the general public was concerned.

It was a simple plan, allow the young lady to assume "leadership" of the Aeon Society, and then gently remind her who was truly calling the shots. And Phillipa seemed like the perfect candidate. Named after her uncle, her parents died in a plane accident when she was seven and she was taken in by Phillip who raised her as his own.

_Not sure if "raised" is the proper term here. "Groomed" would be more appropriate._

Phillipa grew up in a unique environment, going to the best schools in the world, and actually getting a glimpse as to how the world really worked "behind the scenes".

_I wonder what kind of effect that upbringing had on someone so young...to be exposed to the shadowy world we live in where we manipulate politicians, monarchs, and various world leaders on a daily basis._

He was certain that having lived with that kind of life, Phillipa would understand what was at stake and accept how things were done when he and Thetis showed up after her becoming the Director of Aeon to have a small talk with her. So it came as a surprise that, only minutes after she was sworn in, he and Thetis were notified that the new head of the Aeon Society "urgently requested" their presence.

So he and Thetis were on the next flight out of Utopia and on their way to Chicago, arriving in record time. Needless to say, he had a bad feeling about this. He and Thetis were planning on coming here, but on their own accord. The fact that they were _summoned_ hinted that something was amiss, but he managed to keep his concerns behind a calm and calculating mask of inscrutability.

As he and Thetis made their way through the halls of the Aeon Building to Lavielle's office, he could sense the tension coming from Thetis. Like him, she was able to hide it but, having known her for so long, he could tell that she was agitated. She was used to being the one calling the shots, setting the agenda, so having been ordered by some mere slip of a girl (at least by Thetis' standards) to report in person to the Aeon Building to the director obviously irritated her.

"Any word on Pine?" Thetis asked as they walked through the oddly silent corridors of the building.

"No," he replied. "He seems to have disappeared since the incident in San Francisco. From what little video footage we recovered from the area, it would appear that he took some serious damage at the hands of Tanya Mitchell and Renard."

To Ozaki's surprise, Thetis actually chuckled. "Renard," she said, shaking her head. "He is more of an annoyance than his father was, and yet, he has some of the strangest timing."

_Or really bad luck,_ Ozaki thought. "Yes," he said in agreement. "Although I'm not sure if setting him up for the murder of the team in San Francisco was a good idea. When Blazestone recovers, I'm sure she'll have a different take on events."

"Yes, that would be unfortunate." Thetis paused to look at a picture on wall that showed the original founding members of the Aeon Society...an image from a much simpler and more innocent time. "Unless she doesn't wake up."

"Killing her is an option, but I wouldn't advise it, especially in light of Renard's escape."

"Yes." Venom now laced Thetis' voice. "His escape...I can't believe someone alerted those damn Elites of his presence at the hospital."

"I hear the pot on him is up to six million now." Ozaki frowned as he remembered something else. "Even Chiraben was tempted to break his current assignment and pick up what he called 'an easy payday'. But he was convinced to stay on his current job."

"Keeping him on the payroll may be beneficial to now, but that man is a rabid animal, Hideo." Most of the venom was gone now, taking a softer tone. "He is useful now, but he will turn on us."

"Eventually most of them do," Ozaki said. "Which is why we take steps to keep them in line. Flynn slipped beneath our radar thanks to interference from the Dicker and the NSA eight years ago. His surfacing in Redfield a year ago was an accident."

Thetis suddenly turned and gave him a sharp look. "I thought we promised not to talk about what happened in Oklahoma," she said, the venom returning. "That was a disaster, and we should have been certain that there were no survivors."

"Even the staff involved?" Ozaki asked the question allowed, though he knew his superior already knew his opinion on the matter. If he had his way, he would have gotten rid of everyone directly involved on site.

"It's too late to enact a scorched earth policy now," Thetis said, giving Ozaki a sad smile. "We didn't know what the boy was truly capable of or why he even showed up in Oklahoma, but he's now a problem. Do you think there were other survivors of the Redfield incident?"

"I'm certain of it, given Flynn's ability. If any survivors made it out with him, I'm sure he would have wiped any digital trace of them." Ozaki paused as he thought of something else. "And given what we've seen of Flynn, I wouldn't be surprised if some of those survivors stayed with him."

They continued to walk down the corridor, turning a final corner that put them in one final hallway that had no other doors except the one at the other end. Along the walls were more pictures of Aeon's past, ranging from events of the early years to the signing of the Utopia charter only six years ago.

"What is the Blazestone's current status?" Thetis asked.

"Still in a coma, but as I said, I would advise against killing her."

"Who said anything about killing her? I just think it would be wise that she doesn't wake up for awhile. We may do terrible things to bring about a golden age, but we aren't monsters."

_Some would vehemently disagree with you on that._ Ozaki almost said that aloud, but managed to keep that reeled in, because he knew that would open up other arguments. "Then I suppose keeping her on a mox/sedative cocktail while her body heals is the best course of action," he said. "But we will have to revive her eventually and learn what she knows."

"Of course, but as you said, she needs time to heal."

"And Renard?"

"Release a statement that he is a person of interest, but don't directly say he is the prime suspect, we'll let others think that." Thetis paused for a moment when they reached the doorway to the Aeon Director's office. "Insist that we want him alive for questioning...and that we will match what is currently 'in the pot'...but do not let Chiraben get involved."

"That would get most of the Elites on board," Ozaki said. "Though there are a few who still want him dead."

"Yes, well, Totentanz and Pursuer will have to fight through the others if they want their shot at Renard."

Ozaki nodded in understanding as he realized where Thetis was headed on this. "Yes, and there will, no doubt, be fatalities...getting rid of those who might pose a possible threat to us in the future."

Thetis smiled at him. "At least far as the Elites are concerned." Then her smile faded a little. "One obstacle dealt with, only hundreds of others to go."

They said nothing as Ozaki keyed the numeric pad next to the door, then placed his hand on the sensor-screen below it. A few seconds, later the door opened.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Thetis said as she and Ozaki entered the outer suite of Lavielle's office. There was a receptionist desk there, but it was unmanned. Several feet behind the receptionist desk was a double set of wood-panel doors. "No one here to greet us...very poor form."

Ozaki looked at the receptionist's desk and noticed that with the exception of a phone, there was no sign that it was being used by anyone. If he had to guess, it would be to assume that the receptionist who had previously occupied that desk during Phillip's tenure as Director no longer worked here and was probably assigned to another department.

_And the fact that Phillipa has not filled that position by now says something about her,_

He mentally recalled what he knew about Phillipa...highly educated, fluent in seven foreign languages, served as a an ambassadorial aide at the UN, and later Project Utopia. An impressive resume, yes, but that was about all he could dig up on her, but he suspected there was more.

Before he could say something in response to Thetis' remark, the double doors opened and a young blond haired woman wearing blue jeans and cashmere sweater greeted them. "Oh, Director Thetis, Mr. Ozaki," she said almost airily, as if she were greeting a couple of friends on a shopping trip. "Thank you for coming so quickly."

_What the hell is this?_ Ozaki was confused. This could not have been the woman the Aeon Council handed the directorship. _Yes, she was meant to be a figurehead, but I was hoping for someone with intelligence, not an air-headed bimbo._

A glance at Thetis told him that she was apparently thinking along similar lines, given the frown on her face as they entered the office. Plastic sheeting covered the floor and most of the furniture except for Lavielle's desk and two large leather chairs across from it, sitting a few feet away and maybe five feet apart from each other.

"Come in," Phillipa said, making her way around the desk before settling in her own chair behind it. She then gestured at the other two chairs. "Make yourselves comfortable and please forgive the mess, I've decided to some renovation work since I've been sworn in."

_Oh yes, definitely a bimbo. _Ozaki managed to keep his face a mask of indifference, though he did allow the hint of a smile tug at the corner of his mouth. _At least she'll be easy to control._

"Director Lavielle," Thetis began, trying to put as much warmth in her voice as she could, though Ozaki could tell it was forced.

"Oh, please, call me Phillpa," the other woman giggled. "'_Director Lavielle'_ sounds so...so cold."

Thetis managed a false laugh. "Very well then," she said. "Phillipa...I'm sure you realize that there are important things to attend to and, while no disrespect is intended, I think-"

"You think that renovating this office is a trivial matter," Lavielle said, interrupting Thetis. "Yes, I know, but look at this place...it really needs it, the whole organization needs it, really, and that is why I summoned you...to talk about the future."

"Yes," Thetis said slowly, irritation starting to lace her words. "The future."

"Yes, the future." Lavielle laughed again, but, for a moment, Ozaki thought he saw something in her eyes, but perhaps he was mistaken. "After all, this place seems to be stuck with so much old deadweight from the past...something must be done about it." She looked around the room for a moment, then suddenly snapped her fingers. "Evergreen! I'll have this room painted with evergreen color...give it that 'Pacific Northwest' feel."

Thetis rolled her eyes in irritation, but Ozaki remained still. This time, he was certain he saw something in Lavielle's eyes, and he suddenly had a sinking feeling that there was more to Phillipa's talks of redecorating than just redoing an office. He was about to say something when there was a knock on the door.

"Come on in," Phillipa called out.

The door opened and a tall man with thinning red hair entered the room. He wore an expensive Italian suit, the triangular Aeon pin worn by some high ranking members in the society glistened off his tie. Ozaki immediately recognized the man and his sinking feeling became one of actual dread.

"Director Thetis, Mr. Ozaki, you may not remember him, but this is Gerald Monroe, he was head of the _Spirit Walker _project in Oklahoma until last year." There was a slight change in Lavielle's voice when she spoke. Ozaki wasn't sure if Thetis caught it, but the air-headed bimbo was starting to disappear. "Mr. Monroe, I assume you are acquainted with these two people?"

"Yes, Director Lavielle," Monroe replied, standing between the two chairs that Ozaki and Thetis occupied. "They are aware of involvement in the Redfield incident, but I was cleared of wrong doing."

"Yes," Thetis said. "The loss of life was regrettable, but his actions were warranted."

Ozaki studied Phillipa's actions. At Thetis' comment, the blond leaned back in her chair and stiffened for a moment. He glanced over at Thetis and caught a hint of a smirk on the older woman's face; apparently, Thetis was under the impression she had intimidated the younger woman into silence. But looking back at Phillipa, Ozaki could tell that was not the case.

"I see." The air-headed bimbo was gone, a cold and intelligent gleam was now in those blue eyes. Even the voice had changed slightly, taking an almost malevolent tone. Thetis might still view Lavielle as a young and clueless woman, but Ozaki recognized a predator when he saw one, especially when they were about to strike. "Let's take a look at this situation, shall we?"

Phillipa opened her desk drawer and pulled out a file folder, which she raised slightly as she opened it up to read the contents.

"Okay," she said. "Let's start with a small incident about a year ago when a group of people were randomly grabbed off the streets of Redfield to examine the effects of what being bombarded by low levels of quantum energy has on the local populace."

"That was within our operational parameters," Monroe said, obviously not happy and having to deal with this incident again.

"Yes, you were following orders, now please let me finish." Phillipa glared at him for a moment before she continued. "One of those people you grabbed was a seventeen year old nova identified as one David Flynn who happened to be passing through town. When his DNA was processed and ran through the system, it flagged our database because it revealed that he was related to one of our past associates...a certain Buddy Pine."

"And I was notified," Thetis said. "He followed procedure."

"Okay, I would appreciate it that you not interrupt me, Director Thetis. I will give you time to explain this mistake shortly."

"Mistake?" Thetis was clearly angry now.

"Director Thetis," Ozaki said softly, hoping Thetis got the warning. "Let her finish."

Thetis was about to say something, but stopped when she caught the slight shake of Ozaki's head. "Very well," she finally said. "My apologies, Director Lavielle...please continue."

"Thank you. Now, Mr. Monroe, you proceeded to interrogate Mr. Flynn, did you not?"

"Well, yes," Monroe said, a wary tone in his voice. "A nova showing up in the middle of our classified experiment? I'm not one to take chances."

"Yes, I can see that." Phillipa flipped though a couple pages of the file. "I particularly like how it's described how you tortured the boy to get your information-"

"He was a threat!"

"Okay, remember what I said about being interrupted, I really don't like that. Now, you say he was a threat, I say that's where you screwed up. He wasn't really a threat...a potential threat, yes, but he didn't become a threat until you dragged him into the that unshielded interrogation room that happened to be located next to the facility mainframe which had a direct network link to Aeon's database."

Color drained from Monroe's face as he realized the implications of this accusation.

"In other words, Mr. Monroe," Phillipa continued. "You took a cyber-psychic and let him get a look at what we were doing. Yes, you were torturing him for information, but I'm sure he didn't mind since he was mentally downloading everything he could during that little session."

"I-I didn't realize that," Monroe stammered.

"Thankfully, your repeated use of electrical shock treatment via water and car battery did eventually mess up his concentration and alerted us, forcing us to do a network lock-down and severing all connections, but the damage was done, he had gotten a large portion of our database and was mentally linked to the facility you held him in. It allowed him to access the base's security system which he used to incapacitate the staff and make his escape."

"He had help," Monroe snarled, not bothering to hide his hostility. "One of them damn redskins was a nova and managed to infiltrate the base."

Phillipa arched an eyebrow. "Redskin," she repeated. "You know, I could have you fired for your blatant racist comment, but that's the least of your crimes."

"These aren't crimes."

"Okay, maybe not by legal definition, but violating secrecy and risking public exposure is a crime to the Society, an unforgivable one."

"Which I prevented by ordering the self-destruct of the facility."

"Effectively wiping out the town of Redfield which was conveniently written off as a tragedy when an experimental solar powered generator station blew...at least that's what the world believes." Phillipa shook her head. "The sad part is that killing those six thousand people to cover our tracks was probably the only smart thing you did in that situation, but it didn't help much, did it?"

"You can't lay that on me, I did what I was author-"

BLAM!

The bullet hit Monroe in the center of the forehead, the initial impact snapping his head back before the back of his head exploded, splattering a bloody red mist across the floor as his body fell to the ground.

Thetis and Ozaki looked back at Phillipa and saw the smoking hole in the file folder before Phillpa tossed the folder aside to reveal the silenced .45 she held in her hand. "Well," she said after spending a couple seconds looking at the dead body. "That was strange." She then looked at Thetis. "I just realized that, until this moment, I never really killed someone up close and personal like this. I mean, I've ordered people killed before and I even rigged and detonated some explosives that killed a bunch of people...but I never really did it directly." She studied the .45 in her hand for a moment, waving it around. "Kind of a powerful and liberating feeling actually."

Ozaki inwardly sighed with relief as Phillipa put the gun back in her desk drawer.

"Now then," Phillipa said, looking directly at Thetis. "Let's get down to business. You people at Project Proteus have been really busy lately."

"If this is an attempt to threaten us," Thetis said, "you will find that killing either of us won't work."

Phillipa gasped in shock. "What? Is that what you think this meeting is all about?"

"Then what is is about?" Ozaki asked.

Phillipa smiled at him. "Ah, Hideo Ozaki, the mysterious one...not many people know your name. I'm glad you've finally decided to speak to me directly." She tilted her head to one side and Ozaki was reminded of a cobra preparing to strike at its target. "Does this mean you are through analyzing me, trying to figure me out?"

"I understand that we see only what you allow us to see."

"Do me a favor, Ozaki, spare me the the whole 'Asian Zen' thing, if I need that, I'll watch a rerun of 'Kung-Fu'." Then she smiled again. "Actually, I want to commend you on your attempt to deal with the David Flynn problem. Unfortunately, Lansing's suggestion of letting Flynn's father loose on the world wasn't a good idea. On the other hand, he did reduce the world's population by a million people and he gives us something to use later on."

Now Thetis was intrigued. "What, exactly, do you mean by that?'

"Isn't it obvious, Director Thetis. Buddy Pine will eventually resurface, and I have no doubt that he will kill many more people, most of them novas." Phillipa got up out of her chair and slowly walked around to the front of her desk. "Having Buddy Pine out there will certainly rattle the nova community, some will flock to us, and others might decide to join the Teragen. While we will probably sustain losses, I dare say that our resources are far more vast than the Teragen. Let Pine have his fun and kill the occasional nova, but if we were to...say...give him a trail to follow that led to Raoul Orzaiz' doorstep, I'd say it's worth having him out there. At the same time, he gives us something we can rally the people of the world against."

"A risky, but interesting endeavor," Ozaki said. "But what about David Flynn?"

"Yes, David Flynn...trust me, Ozaki. If the psychological evaluations on Pine are accurate, he will target his son. You see, Buddy Pine is arrogant, egotistical, an all around narcissist...he will hate the fact that some glorified test-tube baby is enjoying the life he could have had. David Flynn is young, powerful, and, though I know we hate to admit it, popular. Things that Buddy Pine wasn't when he ran Pine Industries. His attempts at false super-heroics fell flat as well. But his son has pretty much surpassed him. As for why I summoned you two here, it is to inform you that I want you to continue going about what you've been doing."

"What's the catch?" Thetis asked, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"No catch," Phillipa replied, "although I might need you to do the occasional 'off-the-books' operation, but you're obviously no strangers to that."

"You can't be serious."

"Oh, but I am, Thetis." Phillipa chuckled softly, a pleasant sound, but a little discomforting. "You see, I am very aware that I only occupy this position because you had my boyfriend put a bullet in my uncle's head."

Thetis' eyes widened in shock. "You know?"

Phillipa scoffed at the older woman. "Of course I know. C'mon, uncle Phil was getting old and set in his ways. He was about to break rank and spill his guts to the NSA, he had to be put down."

Even Ozaki couldn't hide his surprise. Not only did Phillipa know who assassinated her uncle, but she approved! This was not what he had expected.

_Phillipa played us all for fools, she was playing a role and we fell for it. She is far more dangerous to us than I thought._

"Well," he said, hoping he kept his voice devoid of any emotion. "So does mean business as usual?"

"Pretty much...oh!" Phillipa suddenly snapped her fingers. "I just remembered, there is one loose end we need to clear up." She picked up a small ice chest off the ground that was sitting next to her desk. "Here," she said, opening the ice chest and dumping it's content on the floor.

Thetis gasped as she realized that Phillipa dumped a human head on the floor. Ozaki studied the head for a moment then looked back at Phillipa. "Lansing," he said.

"Yes," Phillipa laughed. "Lansing. I understand that mounting up a manhunt for him would deplete Proteus' resources, so I decided to have someone else take care of it. If it makes you feel better, he suffered quite a bit before his head was ripped off his body."

She then stepped over Monroe's body and started to make her way towards the door. "Well," she said, pausing to pull up some of the plastic and drape it over the corpse. "I guess that takes care of the renovation part. I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted and I feel the need to go to a spa and relax in a hot tub. Do me a favor and get rid of Monroe and Lansing, will you? After all, if Proteus is good at anything, it's covering up and making things disappear."

She opened the doors to her office, then stopped and turned around, snapping her fingers as she remembered something. "Oh, and yes, before I forget," she said. Though the tone was light and happy, there was a coldness in her eyes that made even Thetis flinch. "Should either of you try to have me killed, you will fail and while I can't figure out what I'll do with you, Director Thetis, you can rest assured that Ozaki will find himself in Bahrain and being vivisected alive." Then, as frighteningly as she had disappeared, the "air-headed" bimbo persona was back. "Well, that was fun...have a nice day."

Then she sauntered out of the room, pulling our her cell-phone to make arrangements for an appointment at a local spa, leaving two concerned Proteus members and a corpse, not even bothering to look back as the doors closed behind her.

Back in the office, Thetis looked down at Monroe's corpse and Lansing's severed head before looking up to Ozaki.

"This is not good."


End file.
